How to switch off when your life feels overwhelming

There’s an art to knowing when to switch off and let yourself relax. It should be simple but, for many of us, we wait until we hit a brick wall before we do anything to help ourselves.

When we stop trying to fit just ‘one more thing’ into our already overloaded schedules, we will sleep better at night and, during the day, feel less stressed. It’s as simple – and as complicated – as that. Many of us place huge expectations on ourselves and those around us and it’s not until our health suffers that we realise we need to make some major changes.

Author Angela Lockwood believes the simplest and most important action you can take to flick the switch is to just breathe.

“Behaviourally, when we are feeling under pressure we hold our breath, clench our jaw, round our shoulders, breathe high from our chest and deprive ourselves of oxygen. When we feel overwhelmed we do one of two things; we’ll keep pushing through hoping that it will all go away or we’ll look for solutions that end up further escalating the situation,” Lockwood says.

“After taking a breath, rather than racing on, take a moment to just stop. Shut the door for 10 minutes, turn your phone on silent, let the kids eat cereal for dinner and even miss the pump class for one day. Learn how to give yourself a break.”

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When mother of five Juliet Henderson feels overwhelmed with her life, juggling her kids and a part-time jewellery business, she takes herself for a day/night trip. She usually plans her trip well in advance, just so she doesn’t worry about the family while she is gone for 24 hours.

“It doesn’t matter where I go, I’ve escaped for the day to a friend’s farm which is a three hour drive away. Even sitting in the car on my own and listening to podcasts helps me relax. Then, when I’m at the farm, I catch up with my friend, go for walks, help her with whatever chores she needs doing around the farm and I can instantly feel the weight fall from my shoulders,” Henderson says.

“I strongly advise people that when they feel stressed about their busy lives, just take a day each month to do something for you, turn off your phone at least for a few hours and do whatever it takes to help you relax. I find I go home to my family a better person, and a more refreshed mother!”

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Kate Morris, the CEO of Adore Beauty tells 9Honey she has definitely had her moments of feeling overwhelmed. Running a business and juggling two young children are part of the challenge. The other challenge, as Kate sees it, is finding a way of ‘checking out’ when you can't really check out.

“I still need to parent, and I own a business that needs me too. My favourite escape is to go to the movies by myself. Two hours of nobody asking me for anything, and forcing my brain to stop multitasking and just be absorbed in the story on the screen, is often enough of a break to recharge me,” Morris explains.

“Occasionally, that's not enough and I need a proper break. Last year I took myself off to Cradle Mountain in Tasmania for 2 days - no kids, no Wi-Fi - and all I did was go bushwalking, read novels and get massages in the day spa. It was bliss.”

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Lockwood believes when we feel pulled in every direction, stepping off the treadmill to focus on our health and well-being can seem like an impossible dream.

“To achieve more, we do not have to keep pushing ourselves to do more; in fact we are capable of achieving more through doing less. Try to slow down more often.

Focus on your breathing and take breaks when we need to. We shift from these happening as a reactive measure into them being a part of our day, helping us to cope with and manage the effects of living a full and fast life,” Lockwood explains.